Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center


Home	About NPWRC	Our Science	Staff	Employment	Contacts	Common Questions	About the Site

Northeast Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

Giant Burreed
Sparganium eurycarpum Engelm. ex Gray

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Burreed (Sparganiaceae)
Flowering: July-October
Field Marks: This burreed is readily identified by its sessile achenes with the remnants of 2 styles remaining as a cleft beak.
Habitat: Swamps, often in shallow standing water.
Habit: Perennial herb from thickened rhizomes.
Stems: Stout, smooth, upright, unbranched, up to 5 feet tall.
Leaves: Elongated, stiff, keeled, smooth, up to 1/2 inch wide.
Flowers: Male and female borne separately but on the same plant, the male in small spherical heads, the female in large spherical heads up to 3/4 inch in diameter, all the heads sessile.
Sepals: 3 or 6, spatulate, green, failing away early.
Petals: 0.
Stamens: 3.
Pistils: Ovary superior, smooth; styles 2.
Fruits: Several achenes borne in spherical clusters up to 1 3/4 inches in diameter; each achene sessile, obpyramidal, truncate at the summit, smooth, dull brown, the body up to 1/2 inch long, the cleft beak up to 1/6 inch long.
Notes: The achenes are eaten by waterfowl.

Previous Species -- Grassy Pondweed (Potamogeton gramineus)
Return to Species List -- Group 4
Next Species -- Virginia Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana)

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/plants/florane/species/4/spareury.htm
Page Contact Information: Webmaster
Page Last Modified: Saturday, 02-Feb-2013 06:15:04 EST
Menlo Park, CA [caww54]